


Apologizing

by XxPurpleStars3xx



Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 16:22:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6122318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XxPurpleStars3xx/pseuds/XxPurpleStars3xx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brandon's apology to Lena after he said he didn't get to choose to have two moms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apologizing

Brandon walked over to Lena, his stepmom, who was washing dishes after dinner. While the rest of the family was watching a movie, Lena decided to get some work done before she joined.

 

“Hey, Brandon,” Lena said to the approaching teenager. “I thought you’d be in the other room watching the movie.”

 

“Yeah, uh, but I wanted to say something,” Brandon said.

 

His guilt from months ago had finally caught up to him, and he decided to do something about it. He had never apologized to Lena for the “Did I choose to have two moms?” comment. He had only apologized to Stef.

 

Lena, knowing that tone in Brandon’s voice, shut off the water, put down the plate she had just been washing, and turned to him.

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

 

“Nothing,” Brandon said. “I just wanted to apologize.”

 

Lena was really confused now.

 

“About what, honey?”

 

“From a few months ago. When Mom said I couldn’t move into Dad’s, and I shouted that I never got a say in anything. When I said I didn’t get a say in if I had two moms.”

 

“Ahh,” Lena said, now understanding. She went back to the dishes. “It’s not big deal, hon. I get that you don’t necessarily like the arrangement. That you didn’t like the idea of your parents splitting up, especially when you found out your mom was dating a woman. That was probably confusing for you when you were a child to understand why your mom divorced a man and then was in a relationship with a woman,” Lena said.

 

Apparently, Lena knew Brandon better than he knew himself. He remembered how confusing it was when his parents split and he was left with his mom. Then, meeting his mother’s girlfriend was even more confusing because he didn’t even know that was _possible_. Then Lena moving into their house was just plain weird for him, because he had to now be around his mother and her girlfriend, while still living in his own house.

 

“You’re right,” Brandon said. “It was confusing and weird all at the same time.”

 

“Of course it is, Brandon. It was confusing for me, too. Having a girlfriend with a son was the most confusing thing ever. Especially since she left Mike for me, even though they were already having problems,” Lena said.

 

Brandon didn’t know how this woman he had lived with for almost a decade could be so understanding of him and still love him after him saying those words all those months ago.

 

“You know I didn’t mean it,” he said, moving closer to Lena. “I talked to Mom when I went outside and played basketball. I told her I loved having two moms.”

 

Lena stopped doing the dishes and turned back to her stepson. Tears were in her eyes and Brandon saw them. He didn’t think he ever told her he loved her. Though she _must’ve_ known that he did. She _must’ve_ known from everything he had done these past years for her. Of course she had said it many times. He had been calling Lena’s mom “Grandma” since he had known the woman.

 

She didn’t talk. Neither of them did, as Brandon hugged her as tight as he could. Like a kid that was scared of the monsters in his closet, he hugged her as if everything could go away with one hug. He could feel his mom’s pink shirt being soaked by his tears.

 

“I love you, and I’m so sorry,” he mumbled his Lena’s neck. Sobs wracked his body. “I’m so sorry. And I thank you for picking me up when I had that brownie and when you kept silent about Dani.”

 

Lena patted her son’s back and tried to calm him down.

 

“I love you too,” she said.

 

Stef came into the kitchen to get some more popcorn when she noticed her wife and son hugging each other tightly, her teenage son shedding tear after tear as he apologized over and over again. For what he was apologizing for, Stef didn’t know. But she knew enough of people and parenting to quietly walk out of the room to give Lena and Brandon some privacy.

 

Brandon finally pulled away. Lena took his tear stained and red eyed face in her hands.

 

“Honey, it’s okay,” she said. “I understand that we do things without you. That you didn’t have a choice about all of this—“ she gestured around the room “—but you _did_ have a choice in allowing the twins to stay and be your siblings. That’s a choice _you made_.”

 

“I don’t think things would be the same without you here. Mom wouldn’t be happy, the twins wouldn’t be here, Callie and Jude wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be the same without you.”

 

“It’s okay, honey. Really.”

 

“Are you sure?” Brandon asked.

 

“Positive,” Lena said. “Now, go back to the movie.”

 

“Um, can I help with the dishes, instead?”

 

“Sure.” Lena smiled at Brandon as they finished the dishes together.


End file.
